UTSA adopts two new campus names

(March 23, 2009)--Known as the UTSA 1604 Campus since the mid-1990s, UTSA President Ricardo Romo announces that the campus now officially will be designated as the UTSA Main Campus. Additionally, the 125-acre tract added to the Main Campus in 2007 has been designated as UTSA Park West. Located northeast of the intersection of Loop 1604 West and Hausman Road, UTSA Park West will be home to athletics facilities.

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The Main Campus has made a significant transition from a commuter campus to a more traditional university setting. The most important element of identification for this campus now is its stature as a significant public institution of higher education and not the roadway on which it is located.

The name for the UTSA Downtown Campus will not change. Its name already recognizes the importance of its location and readily identifies the campus.

The third UTSA campus housing the Institute of Texan Cultures previously had no campus designation. To enhance the image of this campus as one of UTSA's three campuses and to accurately reflect its historical roots, the ITC museum site is now the UTSA HemisFair Park Campus.

In February 2008, UTSA officials hired Austin-based consulting firm Barnes Gromatszky Kosarek Architects to create the new UTSA campus master plan. The plan will provide a framework for future physical development of the three UTSA campuses, as UTSA becomes the next great Texas university. As part of the master planning process, consideration was given to the designation of the three UTSA campuses and the recently acquired satellite to the Main Campus.

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Background: UTSA master plans

UTSA was founded by the Texas Legislature in June 1969. In May 1970, the conceptual master plan for UTSA was begun by Ford Powell and Carson architects. In June 1975, the first classes were conducted in the Humanities-Business Building (now the Humanities and Social Sciences Building) on the 1604 Campus (now the Main Campus). Originally under the auspices of UT Austin, the Institute of Texan Cultures became part of UTSA in February 1986.

In 1990, UTSA's fourth president, Samuel A. Kirkpatrick, initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process and secured funds for additional building construction. The UTSA Downtown Campus opened in September 1997.

In February 2008, UTSA President Ricardo Romo selected Austin-based Barnes Gromatszky Kosarek Architects to create the new UTSA campus master plan. The plan serves as a common vision and a blueprint for progress, while responding to the unique settings of the campuses and the character of surrounding neighborhoods.

The master planning process included input from UTSA students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members through interviews, meetings and workshops. The plan provides a basis for future development decisions as the institution implements its strategic plan, "A Shared Vision: UTSA 2016."